_THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED._
JOSHUA xviii., xix.
An event of great importance now occurs; the civil arrangements of the
country are in a measure provided for, and it is time to set in order
the ecclesiastical establishment. First, a place has to be found as
the centre of the religious life; next, the tabernacle has to be
erected at that place--and this is to be done in the presence of all
the congregation. It is well that a godly man like Joshua is at the
head of the nation; a less earnest servant of God might have left this
great work unheeded. How often, in the emigrations of men, drawn far
from their native land in search of a new home, have arrangements for
Divine service been forgotten! In such cases the degeneracy into rough
manners, uncouth ways of life, perhaps into profanity, debauchery, and
lawlessness, has usually been awfully rapid. On the other hand, when
the rule of the old puritan has been followed, "Wherever I have a
house, there God shall have an altar"; when the modest spire of the
wooden church in the prairie indicates that regard has been had to the
gospel precept--"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you,"--a touch
of heaven is imparted to the rude and primitive settlement; we may
believe that the spirit of Christ is not unknown; the angels of virtue
and piety are surely hovering around it.
The narrative is very brief, and no reason is given why Shiloh was
selected as the religious centre of the nation. We should have thought
that the preference would be given to Shechem, a few miles north, in
the neighbourhood of Ebal and Gerizim, which had already been
consecrated in a sense to God. That Shiloh was chosen by Divine
direction we can hardly doubt, although there may have been reasons of
various kinds that commended it to Joshua. Josephus says it was
selected for the beauty of the situation; but if the present Seilûn
denotes its position, as is generally believed, there is not much to
corroborate the assertion of Josephus. Its locality is carefully
defined in the Book of Judges (xxi. 19),--"on the north side of
Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to
Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah." As for its appearance, Dean
Stanley says, "Shiloh is so utterly featureless that had it not been
for the preservation of its name, Seilûn, and for the extreme
precision with which its situation is described in the Book of Judges,
the spot could never have been identified; and, indeed, from the time
of Jerome till the year 1838 [when Robinson identified it], its real
site was completely forgotten." Robinson does not think so poorly of
it as Stanley, describing it as "surrounded by hills, and looking out
into a beautiful oval basin" ("Biblical Researches," ii. 268).
From the days of Joshua, all through the period of the Judges, and on
to the last days of Eli the high priest, Shiloh continued to be the
abode of the tabernacle, and the great national sanctuary of Israel.
Situated about half-way between Bethel and Shechem, in the tribe of
Ephraim, it was close to the centre of the country, and, moreover, not
difficult of access for the eastern tribes. Here for many generations
the annual assemblies of the nation took place. Here came Hannah from
her home in Mount Ephraim to pray for a son; and here little Samuel,
"lent to the Lord," spent his beautiful childhood. Through that
opening in the mountains, old Eli saw the ark carried by the rash
hands of his sons into the battle with the Philistines, and there he
sat on his stool watching for the messenger that was to bring tidings
of the battle. After the ark was taken by the Philistines, the city
that had grown up around the tabernacle appears to have been taken and
sacked and the inhabitants massacred (Psalm lxxviii. 60-64). We hear
of it in later history as the abode of Ahijah the prophet (1 Kings xi.
29); afterwards it sinks into obscurity. It is to be noted that its
name occurs nowhere among the towns of the Canaanites; it is likely
that it was a new place, founded by Joshua, and that it derived its
name, Shiloh, "rest," from the sacred purpose to which it was now
devoted.
Here, then, assembled the whole congregation of the children of
Israel, to set up the tabernacle, probably with some such rites as
David performed when it was transferred from the house of Obed-Edom to
Mount Zion. Hitherto it had remained at Gilgal, the headquarters and
depôt of the nation. The "whole congregation" that now assembled does
not necessarily mean the whole community, but only selected
representatives, not only of the part that had been engaged in
warfare, but also of the rest of the nation.
If we try to form a picture of the state of Israel while Joshua was
carrying on his warlike campaigns, it will appear that his army being
but a part of the whole, the rest of the people were occupied in a
somewhat random manner, here and there, in providing food for the
community, in sowing and reaping the fields, pasturing their flocks,
and gathering in the fruits. And from the tone of Joshua it would
appear that many of them were content to lead this somewhat irregular
life. In a somewhat sharp and reproachful tone he says to them, "How
long are ye slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of your
fathers has given you?" One of Joshua's great difficulties was to
organize the vast mass of people over whom he presided, to prevent
them from falling into careless, slatternly ways, and to keep them up
to the mark of absolute regularity and order. Many of them would have
been content to jog on carelessly as they had been doing in the
desert, in a sort of confused jumble, and to forage about, here and
there, as the case might be, in pursuit of the necessaries of life.
Their listlessness was provoking. They knew that the Divine plan was
quite different, that each tribe was to have a territory of its own,
and that measures ought to be taken at once to settle the boundaries
of each tribe. But they were taking no steps for this purpose; they
were content with social hugger-mugger.
Joshua is old, but his impatience with laziness and irregularity still
gives sharpness to his remonstrance, "How long are ye slack to possess
the land?" The ring of authority is still in his voice; it still
commands obedience. More than that, the organizing faculty is still
active--the faculty that decides how a thing is to be done. "Give out
from among you three men for each tribe; and I will send them, and
they shall rise and go through the land and describe it according to
the inheritance of them."
The men are chosen, three from each of the seven tribes that are not
yet settled; and they go through and make a survey of the land. Judah
and Joseph are not to be disturbed in the settlements that have
already been given to them; but the men are to divide the rest of the
country into seven parts, and thereafter it is to be determined by lot
to which tribe each part shall belong. It would appear that special
note was to be taken of the cities, for when the surveyors returned
and gave in their report they "described the land by cities into seven
parts in a book." Each city had a certain portion of land connected
with it, and the land always went with the city. The art of writing
was sufficiently practised to enable them to compose what has been
called the "Domesday Book" of Canaan, and the record being in writing
was a great safeguard against the disputes that might have arisen had
so large a report consisted of mere oral statement. When the seven
portions had been balloted for, there was no excuse for any of the
tribes clinging any longer to that nomad life, for which, while in the
wilderness, they seem to have acquired a real love.
And now we come to the actual division. The most interesting of the
tribes yet unsupplied was Benjamin, and the region that fell to him
was interesting too. It may be remarked as an unusual arrangement,
that when portions were allotted to Judah and to Ephraim, a space was
allowed to remain between them, so that the northern border of Judah
was at some distance from the southern border of Ephraim. As Judah and
Ephraim were the two leading tribes, and in some respects rivals, the
benefit of this intervening space between them is apparent. But for
this, whenever their relations became strained, hostilities might have
taken place.
Now it was this intervening space that constituted the inheritance of
the tribe of Benjamin. For the most part it consisted of deep ravines
running from west to east, from the central table-land down to the
valley of the Jordan, with mountains between. Many of its cities were
perched high in the mountains, as is shown by the commonness of the
names Gibeon, Gibeah, Geba, or Gaba, all of which signify "hill";
while Ramah is a "high place," and Mizpeh a "tower." In the
wilderness, Benjamin had marched along with Ephraim and Manasseh, all
the descendants of Joseph forming a united company; and after the
settlement Benjamin naturally inclined towards fellowship with these
tribes. But, as events went on, he came more into fellowship with the
tribe of Judah, and though Saul, Shimei, and Sheba, the bitterest
enemies of the house of David, were all Benjamites, yet, when the
separation of the two kingdoms took place under Rehoboam, Benjamin
took the side of Judah (1 Kings xii. 21). On the return from the
captivity it was the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that took the lead
(Ezra i. 5), and throughout the Book of Ezra the returned patriots are
usually spoken of as "the men of Judah and Benjamin."
The cities of Benjamin included several of the most famous. Among them
was Jericho, the rebuilding of which as a fortified place had been
forbidden, but which was still in some degree inhabited; Bethel, which
was already very famous in the history, but which, after the
separation of the kingdoms, was taken possession of by Jeroboam, and
made the shrine of his calves; Gibeon, the capital of the Gibeonites,
and afterwards a shrine frequented by Solomon (1 Kings iii. 5); Ramah,
afterwards the dwelling-place of Samuel (1 Sam. vii. 17); Mizpeh, one
of the three places where he judged Israel (1 Sam. vii. 16); Gibeath,
or Gibeah, where Saul had his palace (1 Sam. x. 26); and last, not
least, Jerusalem. As to Jerusalem, some have thought that it lay
partly in the territory of Judah, and partly in that of Benjamin. When
certain terms in the description of the boundaries are studied there
are difficulties that might suggest this solution. But we have seen
that in practice there was a considerable amount of giving and taking
among the tribes with reference to particular cities, and that
sometimes a city, locally within one tribe, belonged to the people of
another. So it was with Jerusalem; locally within the inheritance of
Benjamin, it was practically occupied by the men of Judah (see chap.
xv. 63).
Benjamin was counted the least of the tribes (1 Sam. ix. 31), and
when, with other tribes, it was represented by its chief magistrate,
it was rather disparagingly distinguished as "little Benjamin with
their ruler" (Psalm lxviii. 27). Yet it was strong enough, on one
occasion, to set at defiance for a time the combined forces of the
other tribes (Judg. xx. 12, etc.). It was distinguished for the
singular skill of its slingers; seven hundred, who were left-handed,
"could every one sling stones at an hair-breadth and not miss" (Judg.
xx. 16). The character of its territory, abounding in rocky mountains,
and probably in game, for the capture of which the sling was adapted,
might, in some degree, account for this peculiarity.
Many famous battles were fought on the soil of Benjamin. The battle of
Ai; that of Gibeon, followed by the pursuit through Bethhoron, both
under Joshua; Jonathan's battle with the Philistines at Michmash (1
Sam. xiv.); and the duel at Gibeon between twelve men of Saul and
twelve of David (2 Sam. ii. 15, 16); were all fought within the
territory of Benjamin. And when Sennacherib approached Jerusalem from
the north, the places which were thrown into panic as he came near
were in this tribe. "He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron;
at Michmash he layeth up his baggage: they are gone over the pass;
they have taken up their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of
Saul is fled. Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken,
O Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth! Madmenah is a fugitive; the
inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. This very day shall he
halt at Nob: he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem" (Isa. x. 28-32, R.V.). In later times Judas
Maccabeus gained a victory over the Syrian forces at Bethhoron; and,
again, Cestius and his Roman troops were defeated by the Jews; and,
once more, centuries later, Richard Cœur de Lion and the flower of
English chivalry, when they pushed up through Bethhoron in the hope of
reaching Jerusalem, were compelled to retire.
Even down to New Testament times, as Dean Stanley remarks, the
influence of Benjamin remained, for the name of Saul, the king whom
Benjamin gave to the nation, was preserved in Hebrew families; and
when a far greater of that name appeals to his descent, or to the past
history of his nation, a glow of satisfaction is visible in the marked
emphasis with which he alludes to "the stock of Israel, the tribe of
Benjamin" (Phil. iii. 5), and to God's gift of "Saul the son of Kish,
a man of the tribe of Benjamin" (Acts xiii. 21).
There is little to be said of Simeon, the second of the seven that
drew his lot. It is admitted that his portion was taken out of the
first allotment to Judah (ver. 9), which was found to be larger than
that tribe required, and many of his cities are contained in Judah's
list. One act of valour is recorded of Simeon in the first chapter of
Judges; after the first settlement, he responded to the appeal of
Judah and accompanied him against the Canaanites. But the history of
this tribe as a whole might be written in the words of Jacob's
prophecy--"I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."
There is no historical reason for the supposition of Wellhausen that
Simeon and Levi were all but annihilated on occasion of their attack
on the Canaanites. If Simeon had been virtually extinguished, it would
not have had a territory assigned to it in the ideal division of the
country by Ezekiel (xlviii. 24), nor would it have afforded the twelve
thousand of the "sealed" in the symbolical vision of St. John (Rev.
vii. 7). While the tribe was scattered, the name of its founder
survived, and both as Simeon and Simon it was crowned with honour. It
was the name of one of the family of Maccabean patriots; it was borne
by the just and devout man that waited in the temple for the
consolation of Israel; and it was the Hebrew name of the great Apostle
whose honour it was to lay the foundation of the Christian Church.
Next came the tribe of Zebulun, the boundaries of which are given with
much precision; but as most of the names are now unknown, and there
are also appearances of imperfection in the text, the delineation
cannot be followed. "The brook that is before Jokneam" is supposed to
be the Kishon, and Chisloth-Tabor, or the flanks of Tabor, points to
the mountain which is the traditional, though probably not the real
scene of our Lord's transfiguration. Gittah-hepher, or Gath-hepher,
was the birthplace of the prophet Jonah. Bethlehem, now Beit-Lahm, is
a miserable village, not to be confounded with the Bethlehem of Judah.
As no mention is made either of the sea or the lake of Galilee as a
boundary, it is probable that Zebulun was wholly an inland tribe.
Strange to say, there is no mention, either here or in any part of the
Old Testament, of by far the most famous place in the tribe,--Nazareth,
the early residence of our Lord. Yet its situation would indicate that
it must have been a very ancient place. Nor is it likely to have
escaped the notice of the surveyors when they went through the land.
The omission of this name has given rise to the opinion that the list
is incomplete.
Issachar occupied an interesting and important site. Jezreel, the
first name in the definition of its boundaries, is also the most
famous. Jezreel, now represented by Zerin, was situated on a lofty
height, and gave name to the whole valley around. Here Ahab had his
palace in the days of Elijah. By its association with the worship of
Baal, Jezreel got a bad reputation, and in the prophet Hosea
degenerate Israel is called Jezreel, a name somewhat similar, but with
very different associations (chap. i. 4). Shunem was the place of
encampment of the Philistine army before the battle of Gilboa, and
also the residence of the woman whose son Elisha restored to life.
Bethshemesh must not be confounded with the town of the same name in
Judah, nor with that in the tribe of Naphtali. Signifying "house of
the sun," it was a very common name among the Canaanites, as being
noted for the worship of the heavenly bodies. As we have already
remarked in connection with Megiddo which belonged to Manasseh, the
valley of Jezreel, now usually called the plain of Esdraelon, was
noted as the great battle-field of Palestine.
Asher also had an interesting territory. Theoretically it extended
from Carmel to Sidon, embracing the whole of the Phœnician strip;
but practically it did not reach so far. Naphtali was adjacent to
Asher, and had the Jordan and the lakes of Merom and Galilee for its
eastern boundary. It is in the New Testament that Naphtali enjoys its
greatest distinction, the lake of Galilee and the towns on its banks,
so conspicuous in the gospel history, having been situated there.
These northern tribes, as is well known, constituted the district of
Galilee. The contrast between its early insignificance and its later
glory is well brought out in the Revised Version of Isa. ix. 1, 2:
"But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former
time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, but in the latter time hath He made it glorious, by the way
of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
Dan was the last tribe whose lot was drawn. And it really seemed as if
the least desirable of all the portions fell to him. He was hemmed in
between Judah on the one hand and the Philistines on the other, and
the Philistines were anything but comfortable neighbours. The best
part of the level land was no doubt in their hands, and Dan was
limited to what lay at the base of the mountains (see Judg. i. 34,
35). Very early, therefore, in the history, a colony of Dan went out
in search of further possessions, and, having dispossessed some
Sidonians at Laish in the extreme north, gave their name to that city,
which proverbially denoted the most northerly city in the country, as
Beersheba, in like manner, denoted the most southerly.
The division of the country was now completed, save that one
individual was still unprovided for. And that was Joshua himself. As
in a shipwreck, the captain is the last to leave the doomed vessel, so
here the leader of the nation was the last to receive a portion. With
rare self-denial he waited till every one else was provided for. Here
we have a glimpse of his noble spirit. That there would be much
grumbling over the division of the country, he no doubt counted
inevitable, and that the people would be disposed to come with their
complaints to him followed as matter of course. See how he circumvents
them! Whoever might be disposed to go to him complaining of his lot,
knew the ready answer he would get--you are not worse off than I am,
for as yet I have got none! Joshua was content to see the fairest
inheritances disposed of to others, while as yet none had been
allotted to him. When, last of all, his turn did come, his request was
a modest one--"They gave him the city that he asked, even
Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim." He might have asked for
an inheritance in the fertile and beautiful vale of Shechem,
consecrated by one of the earliest promises to Abraham, near to
Jacob's well and his ancestor Joseph's tomb, or under shadow of the
two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, where so solemn a transaction had
taken place after his people entered the land. He asks for nothing of
the kind, but for a spot on one of the highland hills of Ephraim, a
place so obscure that no trace of it remains. It is described in Judg.
ii. 9 as "Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north
of the mountain of Gaash." The north side of the mountain does not
indicate a spot remarkable either for amenity or fertility. In the
days of Jerome, his friend Paula is said to have expressed surprise
that the distributer of the whole country reserved so wild and
mountainous a district for himself.
Could it have been that it was a farm rejected by every one else? that
the head of the nation was content with what no one else would have?
If it was so, how must this have exalted Joshua in the eyes of his
countrymen, and how well fitted it is to exalt him in ours! Whether it
was a portion that every one else had despised or not, it undoubtedly
was comparatively a poor and far-off inheritance. His choice of it was
a splendid rebuke to the grumbling of his tribe, to the pride and
selfishness of the "great people" who would not be content with a
single lot, and wished an additional one to be assigned to them. "Up
with you to the mountain" was Joshua's spirited reply; "cut down the
wood, and drive out the Canaanites!"
And Joshua was not the man to give a prescription to others that he
was not prepared to take to himself. Up to the mountain he certainly
did go; and as he was now too old to fight, he quite probably spent
his last years in clearing his lot, cutting down timber, and
laboriously preparing the soil for crops. In any case, he set a
splendid example of disinterested humility. He showed himself the
worthy successor of Moses, who had never hinted at any distinction for
his family or any possession in the country beyond what might be
given to an ordinary Levite. How nobly both contrasted with men like
Napoleon, who used his influence so greedily for the enrichment and
aggrandisement of every member of his family! Joshua came very near to
the spirit of our blessed Lord, who "though He was in the form of God,
and thought it no robbery to be equal with God, made Himself of no
reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of man." As we see the Old Testament Jesus retiring in His
old age, not to a paradise in some fertile and flowery vale, but to a
bleak and rocky farm on the north side of the mountain of Gaash, or to
a shaggy forest, still held by the wolf and the bear, we are reminded
of the Joshua of the New Testament: "Foxes have holes, and the birds
of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his
head."